KITCHENER, Ontario – Jan. 10, 2020 – Firehouse Subs announces the grand opening of its second location in Kitchener, Ontario at 200 The Boardwalk, Unit 1, on Friday, January 10, under the ownership of Franchisees Phil Dawson, Teresa Cavaliere and Bill Carr. Firehouse Subs serves premium meats and cheeses steamed and piled high on a toasted sub roll, served “Fully Involved®” with fresh produce and condiments.
This is the 32nd Canadian location for the award-winning fast casual restaurant chain, and the seventh restaurant for these business partners. Their newly opened restaurant in Cambridge was voted Best Sub Shop and one of the best new restaurants in town in The Cambridge Times 2019 Readers’ Choice Awards.
“The community support for our restaurants speaks volumes and allows us to make a positive impact locally,” Dawson said. “People love our subs and their generosity helps us give back to our local first responders through Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation. Being able to give back more than $200,000 in grants for various lifesaving equipment needs in our communities is incredible. It touches people’s lives every day and makes us happy to continue what we’re doing.”
The group is dedicated to continuing Firehouse Subs’ commitment to helping public safety organizations through Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation of Canada®, which has granted more than $847,000 to hometown heroes throughout Ontario. In September 2019, the Foundation awarded more than $65,000 to London Fire Department, Middlesex Centre Fire Services and Middlesex-London Paramedic Service thanks in part to the generosity of guests at these franchisees’ London restaurant.
The Kitchener Firehouse Subs restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week. The restaurant will offer third-party delivery and in-house catering services, from sandwich and dessert platters to salads and snacks that can fuel occasions of all sizes.
Founded by former firefighting brothers, the new Kitchener restaurant décor reflects the founding family’s decades of fire and police service through photos and equipment donated by the local fire department. It boasts a custom, hand-painted mural by Chief Mural Artist Joe Puskas, featuring a local hero from the Kitchener Fire Department paying his respects at the Kitchener Fallen Firefighters Memorial Monument. Since the opening of the first Firehouse Subs in 1994, Puskas and his team have painted more than 1,185 murals from his studio at Firehouse Subs Headquarters in Jacksonville, Fla.
Firehouse Subs offers medium and large hot specialty subs, including the No. 1 selling Hook & Ladder® sub, piled high with smoked turkey breast and Virginia honey ham smothered with Monterey Jack cheese and served Fully Involved with mayo, deli mustard, lettuce, tomato, onion and a kosher dill pickle on the side. Other top sellers include the Smokehouse Beef & Cheddar Brisket™ loaded with USDA choice beef brisket smoked for up to 16 hours in an authentic Texas smokehouse and topped with melted cheddar cheese and a special combination of sauces, including Sweet Baby Ray’s® Barbecue Sauce.
In 2005, Hurricane Katrina’s wrath inspired Firehouse Subs founders, Chris and Robin Sorensen, to establish the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation in the U.S. Ten years later, with the opening of the first Canadian restaurant in 2015, Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation of Canada was born with the mission of providing funding, lifesaving equipment and education opportunities to first responders and public safety organizations. The Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation of Canada has granted more than $847,000 to hometown heroes in Ontario, along with more than $48 million in 49 of the United States and Puerto Rico through Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation. Each restaurant recycles its pickle buckets, available to guests for a $3 donation to the Foundation. Donation canisters on register counters explain the nonprofit’s mission and collect spare change, while the Round Up Program allows guests to “round up” their bill to the nearest dollar. All funds raised benefit the Foundation.
About Firehouse Subs
Celebrating 25 years of business in 2019, Firehouse Subs® is a fast-casual restaurant chain with a passion for Hearty and Flavourful Food, Heartfelt Service and Public Safety. Founded in 1994 by brothers and former firefighters Chris Sorensen and Robin Sorensen, Firehouse Subs is a brand built on decades of fire and police service, hot subs, steamed and piled high with the highest quality meats and cheeses and its commitment to saving lives through the establishment of the non-profit Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation®. The founders are the real deal, the food is their creation and the restaurant is built upon a family of franchise operators who share their same passion for generously serving food and community. In 2015, Firehouse Subs expanded into Canada with its first restaurant in Oshawa. Since then, the brand has spread like wildfire across Ontario, with plans to continue expanding across the province. In 2019, Firehouse Subs was ranked No. 49 in Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500, a comprehensive list that ranks the top franchise companies according to key factors such as unit growth, financial strength, stability and brand power. To learn more, visit www.firehousesubs.ca
Quick Facts:
- 32 Firehouse Subs restaurants now open in Canada
- $847,000+ donated to public safety organizations in Canada via Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation of Canada
- More than 1,185 restaurants total in 46 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, Canada and non-traditional locations
- Headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla.